Tree Surgeon Chester

Tree Surgery and Tree Management

Chester Tree Surgeon Cheshire: Trees are a vital feature of many gardens and properties in Chester, and they can transform an otherwise 2 dimensional area by adding substance, style and structure. But when poorly maintained or impacted by extreme weather conditions like high winds or flooding, trees can be a bit of an issue. The safest option if you have work that needs completing on your trees, is to seek advice from a professional tree surgeon in Chester.

Chester Tree Surgeon Quotes (CH1)

Those in Chester who attempt to do tree work themselves, or by using an unqualified person may well cause a risk of damage to property, the trees or to life. However, tree work isn't a safe undertaking, even for skilled tree surgeons, who are familiar with all the hazards. On average there are one hundred and forty serious injuries and three deaths a year within the profession, making it one of the most dangerous jobs in the UK and certainly not for novices to attempt.

Local Tree Surgeon Chester

With around 5 people a year being fatally wounded by falling trees or branches in Britain, even a neglected or damaged tree can also present a danger to life. If you bring in somebody to perform tree work and property is damaged, or an injury occurs, you may be liable for any compensation to any third-party due to the consequences of your actions. These are merely some of the reasons why using a trained Chester tree surgeon to carry out the work on your trees is very important. (The figures given were sourced from HSE UK).

SELECTING A TREE SURGEON IN CHESTER - A skilled tree surgeon in Chester should be a member of one or both of the 2 professional trade bodies found in the United Kingdom. Both the AA (Arboricultural Association) and the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) offers a website where you can view the membership and professional standing of any tree surgeon in Chester. To determine whether any particular tree surgeon has ARB Approved Contractor status and has membership of either of these organisations, you can check this page.

You can speak to these industry bodies for mediation assistance and for help and advice at any stage, if there is an issue during or after any tree work has been concluded.

Professional Tree Surgeons Chester Cheshire

You should graciously decline the offer of a quotation from anyone who you're unable to find on this directory, and carry on your search for an approved and qualified tree surgeon. As soon as you're reassured of their professional accreditations and memberships you should try to get at least 3 different estimates from various companies in the Chester area. Whilst obtaining these quotes you must ask the questions below, making it clear that you need to know the answers due to the risks involved with the work:

  • Is It Possible To contact a recent person you have worked for so that I can check the quality of your tree work? It's a good idea to do an independent examination of any recent work.
  • Can you provide me with a quotation in writing? Verbal quotes alone aren't sufficient. Always get a quote in writing.
  • What level of insurance coverage have you got? You should not even consider a tree surgeon in Chester with less than £5 Million public liability insurance as recommended by the ISA and AA.
  • Do you have documentary proof of your qualifications, professional membership and a NPTC certificate for the use of a chainsaw? It's required by law that any operative/tree surgeon who uses a chainsaw must hold NPTC/LANTRA certification. City and Guilds Certificates and National Diplomas in Arboriculture are qualifications that may be held by a skilled Chester tree surgeon.

Easily followed details about all the tree work that's being undertaken must be included on the written quote. It should state whose responsibility it is to remove debris, tree branches and stumps, and should also include information on any trees which could be protected in law, and the steps required to obtain permission to carry out work on them. Double check that VAT has also been included on the quote. Understanding that you've got a responsibility to hire only qualified people to work on your trees and property, is vitally important.

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PRIOR TO WORK BEGINNING - Making enquiries into the possibility of any trees having protected status, your selected Chester tree surgeon should make sure that any work gets the go-ahead from the relevant local authorities. Even protected trees require maintenance so as to cut back dead or dying wood and ensure the safety of the public, so discovering that a tree has protected status doesn't signify that work cannot be carried out.

No less than 6 weeks written notice must be given to the Local Planning Authority prior to any work being conducted, if your property in Chester is in a conservation area. However, tree trunks of under 75 millimetres in diameter when measured at 1.5 metres from the ground are exempt from this requirement. If the thinning or pruning of a protected tree's branches is needed to sustain and promote growth, written notice is also not necessary.

Tree Surgery Chester (CH1)

After assessing the health of your trees, your Chester tree surgeon will determine the necessary treatments and how the required outcome can best be accomplished. This will involve conducting a risk assessment to include your property, public spaces and any parts of neighbouring properties that could be impacted by falling debris. The level of protection required and the amount of workers needed, will also be established at this point. This is both PPE as well as other safety precautions to keep property and the general public safe from damage or harm.

ON THE DAY OF WORK - Before any cutting of branches, tree felling or climbing begins, barriers, safety measures and cones will be put in place to keep passers-by and unauthorised persons away from the area where work is going on. Traffic might need to be temporarily halted if there is any danger of falling debris into a public road.

According to the kind of work required a tree surgeon will need different levels of protection. At the very least when doing work with a chainsaw they're going to be wearing specialist protective clothing to avoid cutting injuries to the hands, legs and torso. Head and eye protection, and high-vis clothing, should be worn by all workers involved in the operation.

If any working at height is involved, ladders and associated climbing equipment will have to be deployed, and extra workers will be there to assist in the safe removal of high branches and large pieces of tree trunk. It is recommended that you inform your next door neighbours of the need for access, as a skip or other means of transporting the waste materials away will be stationed as close to the work area as possible.

UPON COMPLETION OF WORK - Upon completion of all the tree work, the area can be cleared of all debris, and all the waste can be taken away. Particularly in the case of any protected trees, a certificate of work should then be created by your tree surgeon, which will be signed off and a copy handed to you. If any public areas needed safety measures, this protection will be removed and footpaths and highways will be re-opened.

Problems or issues should be fixed immediately by approaching your tree surgeon directly. If your tree surgeon is a member of a professional association, you can obtain advice and help from the International Society of Arboriculture or the Arboricultural Association in order to reach an acceptable solution, if there is any further dispute.

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Locally based Chester tree surgery services will most likely have the dialling code 01244 and the postcode CH1. They will operate in Chester itself, as well as nearby areas like Great Broughton, Waverton, Vicars Cross, Bretton, Eccleston, Lache, Blacon, Upton, Newton, Christleton, Boughton, Handbridge, Tarporley, Hoole, Mickle Trafford, Rowton, Saltney, Huntington, Deeside, and these postcodes: CH1, CH1 1EE, CH1 2HZ, CH1 1LF, CH1 1RN, CH1 2LE, CH1 1RE, CH1 1DA, CH1 1HE, CH1 1QE.

If you need this kind of service it's definitely a good idea to hire an approved local tree surgeon. Chester homeowners can benefit from the skill sets offered by a seasoned professional.

Tree Surgery Accidents

The work carried out by tree surgeons and tree care professionals in Chester can be rather dangerous. When working on trees, there is a clear risk of injury to both operatives and passers-by, so all possible precautions must be implemented.

It would appear (according to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive)), that falls from trees, the use of chainsaws, and being hit by a falling branch or tree are the cause of the majority of major and fatal injuries that are related to tree work. In fact, those involved in tree care have a higher likelihood of injuring themselves seriously than those in construction.

The majority of accident claims, when it comes to insurance, are for falling from ladders, lifting injuries and being struck by objects (branches, ropes, trees, cranes, grapple hooks etc).

This should all help you understand why it's so crucial to choose an experienced tree surgeon in Chester. In the tree care sector, many accidents are down to inexperienced workers trying to tackle tasks that they aren't trained to do, or capable of. Using a trustworthy and experienced company that's been trading in the Chester area for a good few years, is the simplest way to avoid such issues, and get your tree care work completed in the safest possible way.

Ash Dieback

Most likely to decimate close to eighty percent of the current British ash tree population, in the next few years, ash dieback is a deadly fungal disease of ash trees, the first case of which was recorded in the British Isles in 2012. Ash dieback is set to have huge repercussions for our countryside, contributing to the damage resulting from the earlier Dutch Elm Disease (DED) epidemic.

Ash dieback has an especially disastrous effect on the native British common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), although it affects the whole Fraxinus genus of trees, which have varying degrees of tolerance to it. Believed to have originally come from Asia where the native species of ash were less susceptible, the fungus which causes ash dieback is known as Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, and it blocks its water transport systems, causing it to die.

Ash dieback has now spread to most parts of the British Isles, and is dispersed by wind blown spores which are able to travel for many miles, quickening the process.

Killing tree of any age, ash dieback can be recognised by symptoms such as:

  • Dark brown lesions form where limbs meet with the trunk.
  • Dying shoots and leaves are visible in summer.
  • Leaves developing dark patches during mid to late summer.
  • Wilting leaves that turn black and fall early.
  • New epicormic growth appearing from buds that were previously dormant.

Even ash trees which have the ability to fight the infection, are attacked year after year and ultimately succumb and die. There is not yet any cure for chalara ash dieback, and as it is an airborne disease, no clear way to stop it spreading.

If you believe you have spotted a case of ash dieback on your property in Chester, or someplace else in the local area, you could report it to the Forestry Commission's "Tree Alert Service", although ash dieback is so prevalent throughout the UK that they're only really interested in cases discovered in locations not previously affected. You should still however contact a local tree surgeon, who can offer guidance and advice about how best to proceed.

Trees which are affected by ash dieback: Fraxinus excelsior, EXTRAwoodland clearance in Chester, damaged tree removal Chester, cabling, forestry management, crown removal, stump treatment, health assessments in Chester, felling of storm damaged trees, tree reshaping, vegetation management, hedge lowering in Chester, decompaction Chester, crown raising, tree pollarding, landscape clearance Chester, tree management, drop crotching, residential tree care, expert tree care, formative pruning Chester, landscaping, site clearance in Chester, tree topping Chester, pest control, hazard assessments, root pruning Chester, brush cutting services Chester, tree fertilising Chester, crown cleaning, hedge reductionNINE.

Logs and Firewood Chester

Firewood Logs Chester

If you are looking for logs and firewood in Chester, tree surgeons are frequently a good source for this particular commodity. As tree surgeons spend the majority of their life chopping down trees and branches, I guess this is no great surprise.

If you are fortunate, you may find a tree surgeon in Chester who gives branches and logs away free to collectors, these will often be "green" and need to be dried. Others will sell their logs by the tonne or in bags, and these will typically be fully dried and seasoned logs, that are ready to burn right away.

Bunging "wet" logs on your wood burner or open fire is not a great idea, and will create lots of smoke and clog up your flue. Only use logs which have been left to dry for a minimum of 12 months and have a moisture content of 20 percent or less. Tree surgeons in Chester will mostly have stocks of hardwood logs and these are great for a long, sustained burn which will generate heat for many hours. Softwood logs are terrific for starting a fire, so if you can get hold of some of these as well, that would be useful.

Hedge Trimming Chester

Hedge Trimming Chester

While focusing mainly on specialist tree surgery work, Chester tree surgeons are frequently involved in the routine trimming and maintenance of hedges. Your everyday gardener will often find conifer hedges like Leylandii challenging to deal with, as they grow tall very quickly - so a skilled tree surgeon may be needed.

When hedges are uncared for or poorly maintained, they can fairly quickly become overgrown and out of control. Frequent trimming is recommended if you do not want a hedge to overwhelm your garden in Chester, and as well as making the hedge healthier it will also add to its visual appeal.

You can help your whole garden to appear neat by tidily clipping your hedges. And if you're considering selling your property anytime soon, neat hedges might even add some extra value.

Tree Surveys Chester

There are a number of times when a tree survey might be necessary, land development and property extension being the most commonplace. If you are clearing some land to make space for an extension to an existing property or a brand new home in Chester, for example, you will need to perform a professional tree survey to British Standards BS5837 if trees are growing on that land. All surveys on trees should be undertaken by a qualified tree surgeon or tree surveyor, regardless of whether they're being conducted on private or public property in Chester.

A correctly done tree survey will produce a number of details about all of the trees within the area in question. For instance:

  • The species of trees.
  • The height of each tree in metres.
  • The branch spread to the North, East, West and South.
  • The health of the trees.
  • The number of trees.
  • The allocation of a unique reference number for every tree.
  • The existence of any TPOs (Tree Preservation Orders).
  • The ages of the trees (i.e. young, semi-mature, mature, over-mature and veteran).
  • Guidelines for tree management.
  • The diameter of each tree (measured 1.5m above the ground).
  • The expected lifespan of the trees.

If you're doing work on an existing property or home in Chester but you aren't increasing the building's footprint and are not changing the service lines or access points, a tree survey will probably not be necessary.

Eco-Plugging Chester

If you'd like to remove a substantial tree stump from your garden in Chester, the traditional method used by most local tree surgeons is stump grinding, which requires large specialist machines. There is however a cheaper alternative to this strategy nowadays, which is referred to as "eco-plugging", and is growing ever more popular. It's not merely the fact that eco-plugging is cheaper that makes it an appealing alternative for stump removal, but also that it is handy in hard-to-reach and awkward locations that are hard to access with bulky stump grinding machines.

A highly effective treatment for eliminating tree stumps, eco-plugging has no effect on the surrounding trees and vegetation. Eco-plugs can be employed in all weather conditions and at any time of the year, and they eliminate the stump by killing off the entire root system. Containing a type of granular glyphosate herbicide, eco-plugs are 95-100 percent effective, and can be used on a wide selection of tree species. (Tags: Eco-Plugs Chester, Eco-Plugging Tree Stump Removal Chester, Eco-Plugging Chester, Eco-Plug Stump Treatment Chester).

Tree Surgery - Health and Safety

Tree Surgery Safety Chester Cheshire

The safety issue is one of the primary considerations when doing tree surgery, given that if conducted improperly it can definitely be a dangerous undertaking. If the people engaged in the work are untrained or inexperienced, there are a number of factors that can lead to damage or injury such as no head protection, failing to put on cut resistant (chainsaw resistant) clothing (especially trousers and safety boots), not using eye or hearing protection, not cordoning off the area to safeguard pedestrians and vehicles, hardly any fall protection, in the shape of harnesses, platforms and ropes and falling timber and branches. Owing to such incompetencies, possibly at risk are the tree surgeon himself (person working in the tree), passing and parked vehicles, nearby structures, the groundsman, the people living in the property, passers by, the tree itself, the street facilities, garden sheds and fences.

Dead-Wooding Chester

The process of dead-wooding (or deadwooding) is a crucial element of tree care and management in Chester, and any decent tree surgeon will be able to offer you this service. Dead-wooding involves the removal of dying and dead branches which may present a threat to vehicles, property or passers-by. The branches of trees can die for a number of different reasons, with heavy shading, diseases, pest attacks or damaged roots, acknowledged as the most commonplace.

Although the most frequent reason for getting rid of dead branches is one of safety, it's also sometimes done to benefit the tree, or for aesthetic reasons. It is possible to radically improve a tree's health by removing dying, dead and damaged branches, an excessive amount of which will encourage the spread of disease and insect infestations. A tree with a lot of dead wood also looks ugly and spoils its appearance, so this can be cut out to get your tree looking beautiful once again.

Only substantial dead branches will be cut and removed in many instances, as hardly any risk is presented by the smaller ones. On the other hand, it may be essential to remove any dead wood that is over fifty millimetres in diameter, where trees in Chester overhang a public space, a garden, a house, a park or a road.

Stump Grinding

Stump Grinding Chester

If you need to get some stump grinding undertaken on your property, ensure that you use a company having the proper machinery and knowhow. Any self-respecting tree surgeon in Chester will appreciate the need for eliminating every single bit of the tree stump to at least a 12 inch depth, to make sure it does not re-grow. Having access to the correct stump grinding machinery means that the tree surgeon will have the ability to grind down roots and stumps quite close to structures and walls while avoiding damage. Even stumps that are located in alleys and passageways, can be extracted using the correct equipment. It can take a herculean effort to eradicate the stumps of big trees, where the stump and thicker roots grow down to a significant depth, making the task even more difficult if you don't have the proper gear. (Tags: Tree Stump Removal Chester, Stump Removal Chester, Stump Grinding Chester)

Dutch Elm Disease

While Dutch Elm Disease (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) isn't quite the problem that is was previously, during the past fifty years or so it has killed many millions of elm trees throughout the United Kingdom. Spread by the elm bark beetle (especially the Scolytus genus) and caused by a fungus called Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, DED (Dutch Elm Disease) was inadvertently introduced into the British Isles from North America (Canada) in the late nineteen sixties.

After arriving, it rapidly spread through the nationwide transportation of elm products like saplings, elm crates, mulching bark, and logs with the bark on. Dutch Elm Disease did not only affect Britain, but also destroyed the stocks of elms in continental Europe, North America and New Zealand, it is believed to have originated from Asia (possibly Japan).

The symptoms of DED typically appear first in early summer, and can be recognised by:

  • Twigs turning into a "shepherd's crook".
  • Clusters of leaves that turn yellow, wilt and fall.
  • Twigs with spots or rings in cross-section.
  • New shoots dying back from the tips.

As a consequence of disease and the felling of dying, infected and dead trees, there are now very few large elms remaining in Great Britain's countryside, therefore the spread has slowed and the beetle's habitat essentially decimated. The propagation of young elms which are resistant to DED is a continuing project.

You can get hold of your neighbourhood tree surgeon for help and advice, if you are suspicious that you might have affected elm trees in your garden in Chester, or you could request a diagnosis from the Tree Health Diagnostic & Advisory Service (THDAS), for which you will be charged.

Air-Spading Chester

There are a number of issues that can have an affect on the health of trees in your garden, and the tree's root system is an obvious place to consider whenever there are obvious problems. To be able to check for soil compaction, root rot, or other potential problems, a qualified Chester tree surgeon may need to access the roots of your tree.

Due to the possibility of root damage during the digging down process, this was problematic during the past. A process known as "air spading" is employed by some contemporary tree surgeons in Chester, and this allows compressed soil to be broken down and removed by using compressed air, which avoids causing any damage to the tree's root system or underground utilities.

On occasion, passing vehicles, foot traffic or construction work can cause the soil surrounding a tree's roots to become compacted, and this can have a negative impact on its health. When a tree is "stressed" it can become more prone to attack by disease, insects and pests, and this stress can be caused by a lack of water and nutrients. Also helpful for dealing with root flare problems, air-spading can be used to successfully remove the excess soil from the base of a tree which has become covered, heightening the chances of root rot.

Involving the use of an air-spade and an air compressor, this process blows air into the soil at high speed (1,200 mph), this breaks it up by entering any voids in the soil, but leaves tree roots and utilities unaffected. The air flow blows the soil away from the tree's roots, permitting immediate inspection. A looser layer of wood chip mulch and fertiliser can then be put in to encourage the tree to revive, and a solution implemented for any obvious problems. (Tags: Air-Spade Chester, Air-Spading Chester, Air-Spade Investigations Chester).

Tree Surgery Tasks Chester

Tree Surgery Tasks Chester UK

Chester tree surgeons will likely help with woodland clearance in Chester, damaged tree removal Chester, cabling, forestry management, crown removal, stump treatment, health assessments in Chester, felling of storm damaged trees, tree reshaping, vegetation management, hedge lowering in Chester, decompaction Chester, crown raising, tree pollarding, landscape clearance Chester, tree management, drop crotching, residential tree care, expert tree care, formative pruning Chester, landscaping, site clearance in Chester, tree topping Chester, pest control, hazard assessments, root pruning Chester, brush cutting services Chester, tree fertilising Chester, crown cleaning, hedge reduction and other tree surgeon services in Chester, Cheshire. These are just a selection of the tasks that are performed by a local tree surgeon. Chester professionals will let you know their whole range of services.

Contact a Tree Surgeon Chester

Tree Surgeons Nearby

Also find: Newton tree surgeon, Handbridge tree surgeon, Lache tree surgeon, Huntington tree surgeon, Rowton tree surgeon, Bretton tree surgeon, Hoole tree surgeon, Deeside tree surgeon, Boughton tree surgeon, Christleton tree surgeon, Upton tree surgeon, Mickle Trafford tree surgeon, Waverton tree surgeon, Vicars Cross tree surgeon and more. All of these locations are serviced by tree care companies. Residents in these localities can get quotes for tree surgery by clicking here.

Tree Care Services Chester

Find a Tree Surgeon in Chester Here
Tree Surgeon Quotes Chester Cheshire (01244)
  • Chester Tree Care
  • Chester Crown Raising
  • Chester Tree Surveys
  • Chester Tree Planning
  • Chester Tree Bracing
  • Chester Stump Removal
  • Chester Crown Reduction
  • Chester Site Clearance
  • Chester Air-Spading
  • Chester Hedge Reduction
  • Chester Cable Bracing
  • Chester Crown Removal
  • Chester Tree Pollarding
  • Chester Arboriculture

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Tree Surgery CH1 area, telephone code 01244.

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(This tree surgeon Chester content was revised and updated on 09-02-2024)